Lifting device



4 July .6, 1943. A, G, TR|GG v 2,323,500

LIFTING DEVICE Filed Nov. 26, 1941 Patented July 6, 1943 LnuTNG DnvronAlbert George Trigg. deceased, late of London, England, by Lucy MarieTrigg, administratrix,

London, England Application November 26, 1941, Serial No. 420,581

In Great Britain March 21, 1940 9 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for use in lifting articles andinjured persons, as for eX- ample when it is required to lift a personfrom the ground to a stretcher. At the present time the method adoptedby the first-aid authorities requires men (usually four) to use theirhands and arms and the operation, especially in confined spaces, mayinvolve some diculty particularly when the person to be lifted is heavy.

The main object of the present invention is `to provide a lifting devicewhich will facilitate a lifting operation.

According to the present. invention a lifting device comprises a lengthof flexible material connected at each of its ends to only one end of ahandle formed of rigid material, the handles being otherwise free of thelength of flexible material so that they can form extensions of the saidlength and so that the flexible material is free to flex between itsconnection to the handles.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in whichFigures 1 and 2 are respectively plan and elevation of one form, Figures3 and 4 similar views of a modified form and Figures 5 and 6 plan viewsof two further modifications. In all the figures, the complete length ofwebbing or other flexible material is not shown.

Referring firstly to Figures l and 2, the liftin device comprises alength or strip I of webbing or other flexible material to the ends ofwhich are secured one of the ends of looped handles 2, 3 .of metal ofany convenient cross section such for example of circular cross section;it will be observed that since the handles are connected only at one oftheir ends to the strip I, the handles being otherwise free of thestrip, they can form a prolongation of the strip and moreover the stripis free to flex between its zones of connection to the handles.

A lifting device constructed as shown is capable of wide application asfor example lifting paper and canvas reels and logs; the deviceespecially during war-time, is of extremely great value for liftinginjured persons and a detailed description will now be given of suchuse, this description enabling other uses of the device to be readilyunderstood.

In use, for lifting an injured person, the handle 2 or 3 at one end ofthe strip I is pushed from one side under the person to be lifted untilthe handle can be grasped at the other side and drawn through to .pullthe strip I until it lies underthe person. A number (say four) of suchdevices would be employed and the required number having been threadedin the manner described the attendants (usually four in number, two ateach side) grasp the handles at each end of the strip and lift theperson, an operation which can be performed more easily through thedevices than in the usual way especially with a heavy person, andenables a person to be gently laid on a stretcher.

Obviously the number of devices employed would depend upon requirementsand also the devices could be used when it is required to raise a partof the body, the threading operation being easily effected and thestrips when in position facilitating the moving of a body or any part ofit.

While the handle at each end of the strip could be of the same lengthand of such length that it could be passed completely from one side tothe other under the body, it is preferred as shown to make the handle 2at one end longer than the other handle 3. The longer handle 2 (whichwould be of sufficient length to pass completely from one side of thebody to the other) would normally be passed under the body since itWould be more easily grasped from the other side; moreover, such anarrangement would be of value for use where it is required to lift aperson in a coniined space e. g. when the person is lying against a walland insufficient space would be available for a long handle. In such acase, as the strip I is free to flex between its ends, the end adjacentthe shorter handle 3 would be doubled over the outer end of the longerhandle 2 which would then be employed to push the doubled-over end ofthe strip I and its attached handle 3 under the person until thedoubled-over end of the strip canbe grasped, the longer handle thenbeing withdrawn and the strip drawn through by the shorter handle 3 asrequired.

Another use to which the devices can be put would be to enable a personlying face down- Wards on a floor to be placed face upwards on astretcher, in this case the strips I would be threaded as describedbelow the person as he lies face downwards but leaving a longer lengthof strip on one side of the person; the handles 2, 3 would then beraised to lift the person and the handles at the longer lengths of thestrip lowered as the handles at the other ends of the strips are raised,this resulting in causing the person to roll from the face downwardsposition to the face upwards position, the person then being transferredto the stretcher.

In the case of a heavy person and when four devices and four attendantsare employed, it will be found that a more equal distribution of weightamong the attendants will be obtained by the attendants near the headend of the person grasping the handles of the first and third devicesand the attendants nearer the feet grasping the handles of the secondand fourth devices, the strips l of the devices being enabled to exbetween their ends permitting the necessary crossing over of the stripsto be effected.

By the employment of one or two of the devices a seat can readily beimprovised for use in carrying a person having say a leg injury insitting position.

Various other uses can be made of the device; further instances are nowgiven. A plurality of lifting devices according to this invention can bejoined together to make a sling which can be placed over the shouldersof stretcher bearers and attached to the handles of the stretcher toassist the stretcher bearers while carrying a heavy patient a longdistance.

By joining several devices together a patient can be lifted out of ahole or a patient can be lowered from a height to the ground.

An advantageous use of the device is to carry a patient downstairs andaround corners where it is not possible to carry a stretcher.

There are occasions when it is necessary to carry a patient out of asmall doorway or aperture which is not wide enough for the patient to becarried on his back and by the use of the devices according to theinvention a patient can be smoothly rolled on to his side and carriedthrough. The devices can be used to lift a patient from a stretcher to abed or vice versa and they can be used in hospitals and other places tolift a patient from one bed to another.

The devices are also advantageous in removing` a patient through a smallaperture and along corridors where the ceiling is low.

The devices can also be employed to carry an injured person with a boardinstead of using a stretcher, the devices being placed under the boardon which the injured person is placed.

It has been found convenient to provide two sizes of device both havingstrips of web'bing about wide; one size would be 40 'long over thehandles and the other 52 long, the handle 3 at one end would be about 34long and the handle 2 at the other end about 12 long, the webbing endsbeing turned as indicated at 4 over the metal of the handles 2, 3 andsewn in position. The handles 2, 3 may be narrower than the width of thestrip which in such a case could be edge folded where it is secured tothe handles but preferably the handles would as shown in Figure 3 taperin width from the strip at one end to a narrower width at the other endwhere the handles would be grasped; for example, the handles could taperfrom a width of 5 to a width of 3". As is shown in Figure 4, the handlescould be curved as seen edgewise and the handle could as shown in Figure6 be provided with a cross bar 5 which provides an additional hand gripwhen a short handle is required.

Instead cf providing looped handles, handles of the form shown in Figure5 could be employed.;` in this figure each handle consists of a centralstem 6 having cross limbs l, 8, the ends of the strip being looped andsecured at 4 around one limb 'l and the other limb 6 providing a handgrip.

It will now be understood how a device according to this invention isintended to be used and the manner of its use for lifting articles willbe clear.

What is claimed is:

1. A lifting device comprising a length of flexible material and twohandles of rigid material, at least one of said handles being of suchlength that it can extend from one side to the other of the article tobe lifted, each handle having two spaced cross pieces at least one ofwhich is at one end of the handle, the end cross piece of each handlebeing secured to one of the ends only of the length of exible materialso that this material is free to flex between its ends and so that thehandles are free to form extensions of the said length of flexiblematerial, and the other cross piece of each handle providing a handgr1p.

2. A lifting device comprising a length vof flexible material and twohandles of rigid material, at least one of said handles being of suchlength that it can extend from one side to the other of the article tobe lifted, each handle having two spaced cross pieces at least one ofwhich is at one end of the handle and which are joined by two sidelimbs, the whole providing a looped handle and the end cross piece ofeach handle being secured to one of the ends only of the length offlexible material so that this material is free to flex between its endsand so that the handles are free to form extensions of the said lengthof flexible material, and the other cross piece of each handle providinga hand grip.

3. A lifting device comprising a length of ilexible material and twohandles of rigid material, at least one of said handles being of suchlength that it can extend from one side to the other of the article tobe lifted, each handle having two spaced cross pieces at least one ofwhich is at one end of the handle and which are joined by a single stem,the end cross piece of each handle being secured to one of the ends onlyof the length of flexible material so that this material is free to flexbetween its ends and so that the handles are free to form extensions ofthe said length of flexible material, and the other cross piece of eachhandle providing a hand grip.

4. A lifting device comprising a length of ilexible material and twohandles of rigid material, at least one of said handles being of suchlength that it can extend from one side to the other of the article tobe lifted, each handle having two spaced cross pieces at least one ofwhich is at one end of the handle and each handle having an intermediatecross piece, the end cross piece of each handle being secured to one ofthe ends only of the length of flexible material so that this materialis free to ex between its ends and so that the handles are free to formextensions of the said length of flexible material, and the other crosspiece of each handle providing a hand grip while the intermediate crosspiece provides an alternative hand grip.

5. A lifting device comprising a length of flexible material and twohandles which are formed of rigid material and one of which is longerthan the other, the length of the latter handle being such that it canpass from one side to the other of the article to be lifted, the handlesbeing secured at one of their ends to the opposite ends only of thelength of exible material so that this material is free to flex betweenits connection to the handles which can themselves form extensions ofthe length of exible material.

6. A lifting device comprising a length of flexible material and twohandles of rigid material, at least one of said handles being of suchlength that it can extend from one side to the other of the article tobe lifted, each handle being curved as seen edgewise and each having twospaced cross pieces at least one of Which is at one end of the handle,the end cross piece of each handle being secured to one of the ends onlyof the length of flexible material so that this material is free to flexbetween its ends and so that the handles are free to form extensions ofthe said length of iexible material, and the other cross piece of eachhandle providing a hand grip.

7. A lifting device comprising a length of flexible material and twohandles of rigid material one being longer than the other, the longerhandle being of sucient length to pass from one side to the other of thearticle to be lifted, each handle having two spaced cross pieces atleast one of which is at one end of the handle, the end cross piece ofeach handle being secured to one of the ends only of the length ofilexible material so that this material is free to flex between its endsand so that the handles are free to form extensions of the said lengthof flexible material and the other cross piece of each handle providinga hand grip.

8. A lifting device comprising a length of ilexible material and twohandles which are formed of rigid material and one of which is longerthan the other, the length of the latter handle being such that it canpass from one side to the other of the article to be lifed, the handlesbeing secured at one of their ends to the opposite ends only of thelength of flexible material so that this material is free to ex betweenits connection to the handles which can themselves form extensions ofthe length of flexible material and each handle being curved as seenedgewise.

9. A lifting device comprising a length of ilexible material and twohandles of rigid material, at least one of said handles being of suchylength that it can extend from one side to the other of the article tobe lifted, one handle being longer than the other and each handle havingtwo spaced cross pieces at least one of which is at one end of thehandle, the end cross piece of each handle being secured to one of theends only of the length of ilexible material so that this material isfree to ex between its ends and that the handles are free to formextensions of the said length of flexible material, and the other crosspiece of each handle providing a hand grip, each of the handles beingcurved as seen edgewise.

LUCY MARIE TRIGG, Administratri of the Estate of Albert George Trigg,Deceased.

